Blaby District Council has won a prestigious ‘Green Apple’ award for cutting its carbon footprint by almost 20 per cent in nine months.

The awards are given by The Green Organisation to recognise and promote environmental best practice around the world.

In July 2010 the Council introduced a Time 4 Change project aimed at changing the behaviour of staff to reduce the authority’s electricity, water and gas usage.

An energy team was formed, made up of volunteers who were enthusiastic about tackling climate change, and an energy league was started to encourage competition between departments to reduce their carbon consumption.

Staff participation was high and by May 2011 the Council had managed to reduce its energy use by 18.5 per cent, which cut more than £25,000 off the energy bill.

Councillor Guy Jackson, portfolio holder for regulatory services and the Council’s climate change champion said:

“As a Council we take our commitment to reducing climate change very seriously and the success of the Time 4 Change project has demonstrated that.

“To win this award is great and it just shows what can be achieved when you work as a team towards a common goal.

“We are now exploring how this model can be used to achieve energy savings in other areas of council operations and sharing our experience with partners to see how a staff-led approach can benefit them.”

The award will be presented to the Council in the House of Commons later this year.